1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to toothbrush holders and, more particularly, to a toothbrush holder that will hold one or more toothbrushes in an incline, or in the alternate a horizontal, position, instead of the vertical position. Said invention can be used to hold any cleaning article having a neck that extends between a cleaning head and an elongated handle, and the invention is intended to cover all such uses of the holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toothbrush holders have been used for many years to hold toothbrushes in the vertical position. Toothbrush holders are being marketed in the consumer market today that are designed to hold toothbrushes in a vertical position. These vertical toothbrush holders are being marketed in various ornamental designs. Examples of vertical toothbrush holders are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 327,195, D481,572 S, and Des. 418,706. Vertical toothbrush holders commonly consist of a vertical stem mounted on a base with a disc mounted on top of the stem with holes in it to hold the toothbrush or toothbrushes in a vertical position such as shown in Pat. No. Des. 418,706. The foregoing examples of vertical toothbrush holders are not covered and do not shield the toothbrushes held in them from bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. These open vertical toothbrush holders are generally placed on a counter in the bathroom or on a shelf in the bathroom with the result that the toothbrushes that are held in them are exposed to bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. This permits bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed to contaminate the toothbrushes held in such open vertical toothbrush holders. Vertical toothbrush holders generally do not fit into the drawers that are typically built into a cabinet in the bathroom where they could be shielded from the bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. Des. 277,814 is an ornamental vertical design designed for use on a counter top. This toothbrush holder is designed to place the handle of the toothbrush in a hole in the holder with the toothbrushes protruding vertically up and out of the toothbrush holder. The design and structure of this toothbrush holder are such that the toothbrush holder would not fit in a typical drawer in a bathroom with a toothbrush placed in it. Since the handle of the toothbrush is placed in a hole in the toothbrush holder, the fit of the handle in the hole would have to be loose to accommodate different sizes of toothbrushes. Also, there is no support for the head of the toothbrush. Therefore, this toothbrush holder can not hold a toothbrush in place in a stable manner. Since this toothbrush holder is not covered and is designed for use on a counter top, a toothbrush placed in this holder would be exposed to bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed.
Some vertical toothbrush holders have been designed with covers that partially shield the toothbrushes that are held in them from bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed, with the handles of the toothbrushes extending down outside of said covers. Examples of such vertical toothbrush holders are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. D502,623 S and 5,769,245. The toothbrush holders shown in these two patents are not totally enclosed, and have no reservoirs to collect liquid that may drip from the toothbrushes that are placed in them.
Some vertical toothbrush holders have been designed that are totally enclosed. An example of a totally enclosed vertical toothbrush holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,854. The drawback of this particular totally enclosed holder is that the toothbrush lays against the bottom of the holder where it touches the residue from the liquid that daily drains off the toothbrushes placed in it. In addition, the drawback of all totally enclosed toothbrush holders is that the liquid does not evaporate as quickly from the head of the toothbrush, and the enclosed holder provides a potential breeding ground for bacteria.
Some horizontal toothbrush holders have been designed. Horizontal toothbrush holders are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 291,268, Des. 295,234, Des. 370,338, and 6,343,700 B1. The horizontal toothbrush holders in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 291,268, Des. 295,234, and Des. 370,338 all have covers. These toothbrush holders, therefore, have the drawback that the liquid does not evaporate as quickly from the head of the toothbrush and the covered holder provides a potential breeding ground for bacteria. The horizontal toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,700 B1 is an open container consisting of a horizontal rectangular tray having opposing sides, opposing ends, and a bottom. The distance between the sides of the toothbrush holder are dimensioned to prevent placement of the toothbrush holder on its side, and, based on that, this patent states that this design prevents potentially contaminating contact between the bristles of the toothbrush and the interior of the toothbrush holder. The drawback of this toothbrush holder is that the back of the head of the toothbrush still lies on the bottom of this toothbrush holder and this toothbrush holder does not prevent contaminating contact between the back of the head of the toothbrush and the liquid and residue that builds up on the bottom of this toothbrush holder during continued use, and, therefore, each time the user uses the toothbrush that is placed in it, any contamination picked up by the back of the head of the toothbrush while laying on the bottom of this toothbrush holder is placed into the mouth of the user each time the user lifts the toothbrush from it after prior use.
Some toothbrush holders have been designed that hold a toothbrush in a incline position rather than a vertical or horizontal position. The toothbrush holders in U.S. Pat. No. 1,584,206 issued in 1926, Des. 248,907 issued in 1978, Des. 253,736 issued in 1979, Des. 273,257 issued in 1984, Des. 327,194 issued in 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,446 B2 issued in 2004, and D504,587 S issued in 2005 all hold the toothbrush in an incline position.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. No. 1,584,206 issued in 1926 is a totally enclosed toothbrush holder and, therefore, suffers from the drawback of all totally enclosed toothbrush holders, namely, the liquid does not evaporate as quickly from the head of the toothbrush and the enclosed holder provides a potential breeding ground for bacteria. In addition, this toothbrush holder was designed to hold toothbrushes that had a hole in the handle of the toothbrush with the toothbrush being placed on a peg built into the holder to hold the toothbrush in the incline position with the head of the toothbrush in the lower incline position. Further, the design of this toothbrush holder keeps the back of the head of the toothbrush in contact with the body of the toothbrush holder and this toothbrush holder, therefore, does not prevent contaminating contact between the back of the head of the toothbrush and the liquid that runs onto, and the residue that builds up on, the body of this toothbrush holder during continued use. Therefore, each time the user uses the toothbrush that is placed in it, contamination that is picked up by the back of the head of the toothbrush while laying against the body of this toothbrush holder is placed into the mouth of the user each time the user lifts the toothbrush from it after prior use.
The incline toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. Des. 248,907 issued in 1978 is purely an ornamental design that is designed to be placed on a counter top and, based on its design and structure, would not fit in a typical drawer in a bathroom. Toothbrushes placed on this toothbrush holder would thus be exposed to bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. The design of the upper slots in which the neck of the toothbrush is placed does not provide a stable resting place for toothbrushes of varying designs.
The incline toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. Des. 253,736 issued in 1979 is likewise an ornamental design. Based on its design and structure and the design of its stand, this toothbrush holder would likewise not fit in a typical drawer in a bathroom. A toothbrush placed in this holder would, therefore, be exposed to bacteria that are released into air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. In addition, the design of this toothbrush holder does not hold the toothbrush in a stable position.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. Des. 273,257 issued in 1984 is an ornamental design for a combined toothpaste dispenser and toothbrush holder. The drawback of this toothbrush holder is that the back of the head of the toothbrush that is placed in it is in contact with the body of the toothbrush holder and this toothbrush holder, therefore, does not prevent contaminating contact between the back of the head of the toothbrush and the liquid that runs onto, and the residue that builds up on, the body of this toothbrush holder during continued use. Therefore, each time the user uses the toothbrush that is placed in it, contamination that is picked up by the back of the head of the toothbrush while laying against the body of this toothbrush holder is placed into the mouth of the user each time the user lifts the toothbrush from it after prior use. In addition, this toothbrush holder is designed to place the head of the toothbrush at the lower end of the incline holder, not at the higher, upper end of the incline holder. This allows the head of the toothbrush to rest at the end of the holder where the liquid from the toothbrush drains to, and to come in contact with the liquid that drains there and the residue that accumulates in that area. Even if the toothbrush was placed into this holder with the head of toothbrush in the opposite direction, a position for which the holder was not designed, the back of the head of the toothbrush still comes into contaminating contact with the body of the holder. In addition, the design of this toothbrush holder does not hold the toothbrush placed in it in a stable position.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. Des. 327,194 issued in 1992 is an ornamental design designed for use on a counter top. The design and structure of this toothbrush holder are such that the toothbrush holder would not fit in a typical drawer in a bathroom with toothbrushes placed in it. Since this toothbrush holder is designed for use on a counter top, a toothbrush placed in this holder would be exposed to bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. This toothbrush holder is designed to place the handle of the toothbrush in a hole at the bottom of the base of the holder that would have to be big enough to accommodate different sizes of toothbrushes. There is no support directly at the head of the toothbrush. Therefore, this toothbrush holder can not hold a toothbrush in a stable manner. In addition, any liquid on the handle of the toothbrush after use could run down the handle of the toothbrush and into the portion of the toothbrush holder that the handle of the tooth brush rests against.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,446 B2 issued in 2004 is a portable toothbrush holding device for holding a toothbrush having a generally planar shape with at least one linear edge for resting on a planar surface such as a counter or lavatory basin. The toothbrush holder comprises one or more holes there through for the passage of a toothbrush handle. The distal end of the toothbrush handle rests upon the surface such as a counter or lavatory basin, while the bristle end of the toothbrush is elevated of the counter surface due to the propping action of the toothbrush holder. The abstract of this patent does not contemplate this toothbrush holder being used in a drawer in a bathroom. However, even if this toothbrush holder were placed in a drawer in a bathroom it would be inconvenient for the user to use this toothbrush holder because the user has to either pick the holder up or tilt it, insert the toothbrush handle though the hole in the holder, and then position the handle of the toothbrush after it is placed through the hole. There is no reservoir to collect the liquid that drains off of the head of the toothbrush and if this holder was kept in a drawer in the bathroom with toothbrushes placed in it, the liquid from the toothbrush would drain directly onto the bottom of the drawer creating an unsanitary situation. In addition, the distal end of the toothbrush handle would rest against the bottom of the drawer where it would come in contact with any contaminants that collect on the bottom of the drawer.
The toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. D504,587 S issued in 2005 is an ornamental design. Since it is an ornamental design it is designed for use on a counter top where a toothbrush placed in it would be exposed to bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed. However, even if this toothbrush holder were placed in a drawer, the toothbrush holder can not hold a toothbrush in a stable manner because the slots or indents on which the neck of the toothbrush are placed are flat and wide and the necks of many toothbrushes on the market today are rounded. This holder supports only the neck of the toothbrush that is placed in it. The distal end of the toothbrush rests on the bottom of the drawer and could easily slide from side to side. For these reasons, a toothbrush placed on this holder would not be held in a stable position. In addition, the distal end of the toothbrush handle would rest upon the bottom of the drawer where it would come into contact with any contaminants that collect on the bottom of the drawer.
Toothbrush holders that are designed to sit on counters or be mounted on walls all suffer from the same drawback that afflicts all toothbrush holders that sit on counters or are mounted on walls, namely, toothbrush holders and toothbrushes detract from the appearance of a bathroom and toothbrush holders and toothbrushes are, therefore, better kept out of sight.
The objectives of the present invention are, among other things, to provide a toothbrush holder without a cover which allows toothbrushes to be quickly, easily, and conveniently placed on the holder and held in a closed drawer in a raised position, with stable support for both the neck and the handle of the toothbrush, to allow liquid to drain off or evaporate from the toothbrushes while resting on toothbrush holder inside the closed drawer, and, by virtue of having been placed in a closed drawer, to help shield the toothbrushes resting on the toothbrush holder from bacteria that are released into the air in the bathroom when the toilet in the bathroom is flushed.
No known prior art discloses a toothbrush holder designed to meet all of these objectives.